Late Spring
by Kuro49
Summary: Raijin Era. Kadota/Izaya. Shizuo/Tom. School was for subjects like chemistry and world history, not their twisted version of what should be love. Final chapter: Izaya's POV.
1. Chemistry

In honor of my last high school summer, this is a five chaptered series centering around Shizuo, Izaya, Kadota, Shinra, and Tom during both Raijin and current time. As stated from the summary, it is Dotachin/Izaya, Shizuo/Tom, and Shinra/Celty but there will be love triangles and bitter bitter one sided love/obsession. Be warned.

This chapter contains slight references (Tom and Shizuo's past) from Narita's extra DRRR! side releases (I am not sure about the official titles.) I don't own a thing.

XXX

**Late Spring**

XXX

He was one year older than him.

This was the last year, his very last spring.

There were no expectations for anything different than the last. He had lived in the ordinary for too long to grow astray from that path.

"Tanaka-kun."

He looked up at the soft call of his surname and caught sight of their class representative. She had short hair and a nice smile. The girl gestured to a small stack of books and asked him to bring it to their homeroom teacher. A brief nod and he stood up from his seat. His chair scratched against the floors and he strolled easily out the classroom door.

The books weren't heavy and he weaved through the halls with ease, past the gossiping groups of girls and the boys tossing a baseball in the air. He nodded at those who he recognized and smiled at the cute girls that had strayed in twos and threes.

This was his last year at Raira Junior High, there had to be something special to that.

But he knew there must be a change occurring right within the core of his own being or at the very least, something must be wrong with him. Because present time was blurring into a blank as he passed them by.

The walls were running white and the noise had dulled considerably.

Because he was only seeing importance in one thing, a single human being to be exact.

The science department came into focus but before that— It had been the sight of red on white and nasty cuts littering the stretch of exposed skin that had caught his gaze.

And then it had been the blonde locks.

Instincts came first.

"Shizuo."

The name had grown into a synonym for monster. An equivalent to terror.

It had been almost two years since he had met him. Heiwajima Shizuo. A name with a meaning that opposed everything he seemed to be but Tom knew that this name was the perfect resemblance of what Shizuo could become.

Because within his own perspective, Shizuo might as well be the poster boy of normality if it wasn't for his incredible strength or his intense preference for milk.

Two years ago, Shizuo had fought with a gang of his own friends and single-handedly beaten down the entire bunch with an annoyed grimace to his lips. Tom had been watching from afar, fear quivering into practical understanding.

From there, a senpai and a kouhai, they developed a mutual acceptance on his part and a mutual tolerance on Shizuo's part. Since then, they had become friends. Just like that.

He smiled a weary smile at the fresh cuts and scratches but decided to comment on something else. "The hair looks good."

Faintly, Shizuo smiled, embarrassed at the rare compliment as he ran a hand through his now blonde locks. "That's because I took your advice, senpai."

There was no longer any hesitance to get close.

Shizuo had once been accustomed to abrupt rejection and constant fear. The first time he saw Shizuo, he had seen the damage that was done but he had no blame to pin on this kouhai. The genuinely perplexity that he saw in Shizuo suppressed everything else that he was feeling at the time and Tom decided that he had none of the fear or rejection to offer.

Instead, they made casual conversations.

"Are there less people picking fights with you now?"

"Yeah… It's nice like this."

Through his murky brown eyes, he smiled an easy smile because Shizuo was genuinely content and he knew that this wasn't like him at all. Tanaka Tom was never one to involve himself with someone else's business. He hadn't known what made him willing to initiate a conversation with someone who had righteously earned the title of a monster but seeing past all that, he knew it had been the right choice all along.

"…Do you need help with that?"

The offer reminded him of past hesitance and Tom found it almost endearing on a kouhai who he had to tilt his head back just to see eye to eye. His dreadlocks were tied up and they shook with his shake of his head. Replying, he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"It's just a few books. Even though I don't have strength like yours, I'm no girl."

"That's right."

They walked side by side. The weight of the books remained a constant nothing in his mind. There was a late breeze that blew in from the opened windows of the halls and the world had seemed peaceful at the moment. Not even the fresh scent of blood from Shizuo's wounds drifting by could make a difference.

They stopped at the door to the science department. Through the barrier, Tom could hear the blurred murmur of what could be his homeroom teacher and then a thought sparked into his head. Looking up from the books in his hands, he spoke up just as Shizuo began to walk off.

"Oh, Shizuo?"

The blonde turned his head at the call of his name, two sets of brown eyes met.

"Hmm?"

There was the constant smile on Tom's face and the sun from the window made the blonde locks glimmer gold.

"You should be careful, some graduating gangs want revenge."

Shizuo nodded, he had taken the advice to the heart even though they both knew that the effort was hardly required. "You should too."

A tilt of his lips, a smile for a kouhai and Tom gave a short wave. Their memories rushed back to the very first time Tom played the part of hostage for a childish game of revenge.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

He didn't want to end this in a blur of vague memories and he had exactly one more month to make this meaningful.

000

The first time people noticed Tom's ability, they called it chemistry between the two.

But Tom had only laughed it off with a simple defence that Shizuo was normal, a lot more so than what most had thought. He wasn't a lion tamer and Shizuo really wasn't the terror that rumours had pinned him for.

Tom turned down the street corner.

The morning sun was in his eyes.

Casting his gaze to the ground, he saw shadows, unlike the dark shades from the high-rise buildings.

He gave a soft sign, more exasperation than annoyance and turned down another street, following the shadows against the cement sidewalks. He made his way in the opposite direction of his school that had been right in sight.

The sun was still in the sky, there wasn't a single cloud in the blue.

Tom's ability was just an acknowledgement.

There was nothing special and it was hardly chemistry. He accepted the distinct traits, however more violent, and took a step back when things fell across the line. From what he could see, Shizuo's temper was constructed of fears, perhaps one percent was his own fears but the other ninety-nine percent was the fear of everyone else.

He walked into the school.

No one dared to approach him but their whispers were roaring behind his back. This in itself was enough said.

He dropped his bag unceremoniously to the ground and opened the small compartment to his shoes. Reaching in, his fingertips touched a smooth surface, rather than the rough fabric of his white shoes.

He leaned down and took a glance inside.

There was a white envelope, resting on top of his shoes, like a letter sealed with love.

But the time wasn't right. It made him curious.

He opened the envelope and read its contents, oblivious to the onlookers brimmed with curiosity. His eyes scanned each word with a flaring stare and the paper was crumpled in his hand because his curiosity turned into anger and their curiosity turned into genuine fear.

The true power wasn't Shizuo's strength, it was the word of mouth.

And it was spreading like wild fire as Shizuo tore out of the school.

A ball of a white threat laid in his wake.

There was nothing more to it. They had both acted on instincts, one for the other, another for each other. There had never been a single promise, just a mutual commitment that they had come up with on their own.

Shizuo ran down the streets, his peripheral vision became a blur of white because his only concentration was set on a senpai that had went out of his way to help a kouhai. He was a little breathless but he didn't stop and he wouldn't have if he hadn't collided sharply with something soft and small.

He wouldn't have noticed either if it wasn't for the general darkness to the space that the other occupied, Shizuo couldn't help but pause and look down with hesitation.

It was a boy and he was sitting on the ground.

There was a heavy silence that weighted them down but Shizuo could only watch as the boy bit violently on his lips. His eyes were clenched shut as he took a shudder of a breath, it was clear that he was trying to hold back the pain but each word that came out sounded eerily calm.

"You dislocated my shoulder."

The accusation had hit him dead centre and Shizuo blinked, taken back by the fearless confrontation. The expression was short of emotionless aside from the traces of pain, it reminded him of Kasuka but his brother would gently pull him back when his temper bordered along danger, unlike this fearless gaze that was pushing him deeper and deeper within his own temper.

"Sorry, kid." He stood still as he breathed out, Kasuka's silence echoing in his head. "I'm in a hurry but I can call a friend. His dad is a doc—"

"No thanks." He coldly brushed him off without a hint of remorse in his voice and his fingers fumbled with his cell phone. He expertly pressed at the buttons with ease despite the pain that wracked his entire frame. "I don't want you introducing me to some shady doctors."

Red eyes glared furiously through the tears that wallowed in the orbs, Shizuo bowed his head in a silent apology.

The call connected, Shizuo turned around with one last look, dismissing the small youth sitting in the streets, just in time to miss the greetings the boy with the jet black hair spoke into the phone.

"I need a bit of help… a dislocated shoulder… someone bumped into me… I'm serious, Shinra. Call your dad."

000

He saw him first before he saw him in return.

Shizuo found him, lying on the ground, looking at his worst.

Tom could taste blood on his lips and pain at each joint of a knuckle. The concrete floor was cold and it did nothing to ease his injuries. But he was reassured at the sight of blonde hair in the mass.

He didn't want to make a scene but Shizuo had been their ultimate target and he was just the bait in another attempt for revenge.

The warehouse amplified each sound that was made.

A heavy body hitting the ground, a horrified scream, a stuttered banter, broken glass, splintered bones. Tom was sure he could hear the sound of metal bending in Shizuo's hands and he smiled a weary smile at the lack of hesitation in his violence.

It could have been minutes or seconds but the air was already stiff with fear.

Shizuo came over, blood trickling down the length of one arm. Red against the flesh, his uniform was done for but his care was only for one single person. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live."

He looked up at his kouhai and slowly got up with the help of Shizuo. They looked down at each other, dried blood caked against fresh injuries, pain throbbed against muscles and bruises were surfacing right below the tangible skin. They stood in silence as the tension in the air slowly dissipated with their breathing.

"…You should have just used me."

"I may not be good at fighting but I'm not about to use a kouhai to save my own ass."

Tom shook his head at the sight of injured bodies lying across the warehouse lot but he knew that this year had sincerely become a memory of the meaningful kinds. He glanced back at Shizuo and took in each emotion displayed over his kouhai's face. His lips dissolved into a smile. "Don't give me that kind of expression, people would think I was bullying you or something."

With a hand smeared in blood that did not belong to him, Shizuo easily pushed open the large metal doors to the warehouse. The sun filtered through and warmth enveloped them both. Maybe it had been the slight heat or maybe it had been the blood loss but Tom allowed himself to lean, ever so slightly, on Shizuo for support.

It felt nice.

"Come on, Shizuo. Let's leave before the cops get here, I actually want to graduate this year."

This year hadn't just been another year, this year was his last year and he had managed to make it mean something with just a bit of Shizuo's help.

But Tom really wondered if there would ever be an existence that could ever compare, just to match up to Shizuo's.

000

Two weeks later, Tanaka Tom graduated from Raira Junior High with just a bandage on his face.

XXX Kuro

This pairing is a first for me, thus it will remain platonic, if not just outright friendship but their sweetness killed me DD:


	2. Japanese Literature

Looking at the minimal reviews, I take it no one is really into KadotaIzaya? QuQ But I really _really _do like these two (especially since this chapter focuses a lot on the two of them XDD) It is a shame that this fandom is too Shizaya (mnd you, I like Shizaya quite a bit too!) for much of anything else DD:

I don't own.

XXX

**Late Spring**

XXX

He looked on but never made a move to intervene.

Because he was well aware of the risks involved.

Flipping the page, the door crashed open with a loud resounding bang. The metal frames had hit the two walls on each adjacent side and it echoed against the blue in the sky as the concrete swallowed down the noise.

Dazed by the sun, Kadota looked up at the sudden interruption. Maybe it had been the unlikely heat in his system and the heavy waft of sunshine that was suffocating him but Kadota had easily recognized the intruder by the way the white hot sunlight was drafting through the jet black hair.

He was one of the two that tore apart their school.

Orihara Izaya. He was a famous one.

And he had nasty bruises all over.

Kadota made to turn back to his book but the boy stood beneath the sun with bone white skin and his chest heaved as he caught his breath, he couldn't look away. Kadota hadn't realize the meaning yet but it had been crystal clear.

"Ah."

Orihara Izaya made a light sound of acknowledgment before walking closer upon the realization of another living breathing human being. Kadota caught the red of his eyes as they blinked from malice to amusement, the change hadn't been settled. Unlike the blue of his own uniform, the black was fluttering with the wind and the boy's eyes were twinkling with curiosity.

"What're you reading?"

He lifted the cover.

"It's not bad…"

Kadota nodded because it was an interesting read and he was anticipating the ending almost as much as he looked forward to his alone time. But he did not turn back to the book because the boy had sat down right next to him with a clear intent that he would not be going anywhere.

Turning to face him, Izaya had a grin plastered against his pale cheeks.

"What part are you at?"

"When he just left home."

His eyes gave a glimmer, like rubies in the dark.

Kadota thought that it must have been the sun and the pollen in the air that was finally taking a toll on him. Brushing off his own instincts that spoke louder than any word on a page, he continued to observe.

Orihara Izaya parted his mouth to speak, there was a momentary pause but like his presence, it was flitting. Kadota watched as words fell from between his lips and he listened as he went on to spoil the story until there was nothing left.

That was the first time he came face to face with Orihara Izaya and Kadota Kyouhei failed to forget this encounter.

Standing up, Izaya patted the dirt from his black uniform pants and fished his cell phone from his pocket. The soft vibrates seemed to reverberate around them but he barely glanced at the blinking screen before turning back to face Kadota.

His hand rested on the rusting railings and his expression disappeared in the shadows.

"That's all the story telling for today, Kadota-kun. I'll probably be back though, this is a great spot to hide from Shizu-chan."

The sun was resting right behind him and he seemed to glow a grey outline, white sunlight against the black of his uniform and the shadow he was casting with his entire frame.

Kadota had never seen anyone like him.

Izaya let out a laugh, gave a twirl and hopped down the stairs, leaving him alone, again. He couldn't help but stare after the black silhouette. He wasn't tall but his pitch black hair and blood red eyes made him stand out from the rest of the school. There had to be some kind of charms to him because Kadota Kyouhei had become one of the crowds.

He gave a deep sigh and laid the book to the ground.

There wasn't a word in his mind, there were only a few concerns running through his head: the ending was spoiled, his book was ruined.

And Orihara Izaya knew him by name.

000

He would glance down at the fight from an opened window and it would always be unfolding at a rate that was ten times faster than human speed. A damaging slash, an ominous roar, a school fence, a ruined wall. He turned away from the scene that had captivated everyone else in his class.

They were only in the first year and they had already blown everything out of proportion, especially with ruined school property.

Running a hand through his hair, he sat back down at his seat, fully aware of the real depth within that whirlpool of darkness.

He knew that Izaya was no good. He had seen the nasty tricks, the cruel jokes, the morbid sense of what fun should be. And he knew that the smile meant nothing remotely good.

Because when the pain from Shizuo died down, Izaya would always come to him.

Second period passed by, the windows were still open but the scuffle was no longer on the soccer field.

The bell rang out loud, echoing down each hall. The teacher dismissed the class and Kadota calmly flipped another page to the novel he had been reading. There was an attraction to words on a page that could never compare to anything else in his life, the story hit its climax.

And then everything went downhill from there.

"Kadota-kun."

His name was called out.

"Someone is looking for you."

He reluctantly glanced up to see Izaya waving at him from his classroom door. His anticipation had to wait this time around because expectations always came first for Kadota Kyouhei, especially when it concerned someone else by the name of Orihara Izaya.

Placing his book into his bag, he stood up and made his way to the door. His classmates merely cast him a second glance as he passed them by because he was no one important, just a nice guy who kept to himself.

And he was just fine with it.

Looking down, Izaya was beaming up at him with a wide grin and Kadota could only nod in return. But a strong smell suddenly struck him and he took a step back. He stared hard as Izaya rolled his eyes and then things began to make sense once more.

"You've been to the infirmary already?"

"No, Kyouhei-kun. I got bored and went skinny dipping in a pool of disinfectant." Izaya stared pointedly at the other as they made their way down the hall. Each step sent pain to jolt at each wound but he continued to walk without slowing down his pace. "So walk with me a bit? I want to get this smell off of me."

And neither did his smile dimmed with the pain.

Kadota watched his stiff steps and saw the gauze peeking out from beneath the collar of his shirt. He couldn't stop himself but slow down for the other as they walked down the stairs. "Anything major?"

"Just a twisted ankle and a lot of bruises." Izaya brushed the question off and waved off the hand that tried to steady his steps. "I'm fine."

"You twisted your ankle." He was merely making a statement but he knew the other would take it as a blow to his pride. Kadota didn't try to explain himself, he allowed Izaya to take his words for what he had wanted them to mean because he wanted this to happen and he would be keen on finishing this for himself.

"It's okay." It was hinting on defence, as a counter to his offence. Kadota didn't take it to the heart but Izaya was staring at him hard. He took a few more steps down the flight of stairs before motioning to Izaya's ankle. "Aren't you in pain?"

Izaya's eyes fluttered shut for a fraction of a second as the words left his lips.

"Why do you care?"

Kadota had a hint of a smile on his face. Even though Izaya read a lot, he didn't love the Japanese language like he did. Looking straight at the other, he caught flickers of his own reflection drenched in red and replied.

"Because I like you."

It was almost six months since their first meeting on the school roof but it had only taken him around two to understand the feelings he felt for the other. It had been denial, and then ignorance before realization seeped in. Love was like fate, it had a mind of its own. In love, there was never a choice for him, it was just a matter of do or die. After that it had all been acceptance and nothing else.

Kadota Kyouhei's first love was strangely absent of all kinds of passion and enthusiasm.

But there was never a single shred of regret.

Izaya's eyes held a glimmer of hope.

But his entire body told a different story. He had been upset but the frown stretched into a smile. He was trying to stay calm but his straight stare was an uneasy one.

Kadota saw the hesitation and the skepticism cooking slowly but it was coming to a boil nonetheless. He anticipated a flat rejection and he knew that he wouldn't have mind it in the least because if he was in the other's shoes, he would have surely bolted the other way already.

It was the way the truth was taken in as a joke and the way revelation uncoiled back into a painful strike against the cheek. A confession from a friend was a betrayal in their trust, acceptance would never be the first feeling in line within their conscious mind.

Kadota would never blame the other.

Because he didn't believe in himself to do the same thing.

Izaya let out a small breath, his hope dying with his last syllable.

"You aren't kidding are you?"

Kadota shook his head, his rare smile turning into a bittersweet one.

"I don't joke about… this."

It was directed at himself more than it was for the one he liked. Love wasn't something he could control, no matter how much he would've liked. He tried to ease the situation to make it better for the both of them.

"I am not expecting a reply, Izaya, I just wanted you to know."

Izaya took a step down and Kadota offered him a helping hand at the clear pain that shone through the red stare.

It was blatantly obvious that this was more for themselves than it was for each other. Izaya had his own complications to deal with and Kadota had his own expectations to fulfill. He wanted to be with the world and he wanted to be with one.

They were on two different pages of the same book but neither knew where the other was.

"Kyouhei-kun. I think I owe you this much."

Kadota didn't know what he was referring to but Izaya accepted the hand.

And they both stepped down to the landing of the long winding stairs.

000

Dotachin is what he called him now.

Izaya's inaudible whisper of: _I like you too_ resounded in the depths of what he could remember.

A month ago, Kadota-kun got a reply in return for the heart he had given out. Since then, there was no invitation for anything else. The stepping stone from friends to something more was ignored but he had already found himself intertwined in the other's love life. Kadota-kun was now Dotachin but Izaya was still Izaya. They could have been in love but the changes were nearly unnoticeable.

They were now nearing the end of their first year and they were still together today.

Kadota looked up from his book, just in time to see Izaya walk through the library doors and it had been a blatant attempt to hide from Shizuo. They caught notice of the other's existence and Izaya's split lips curled lightly.

He sauntered over as Kadota offered with a tap at the window. "Shizuo is down there."

Izaya took a seat across from him and Kadota watched as he leaned against the glass to stare out at the blonde with his aggravation clearing a clean path for him across the green soccer field. He breathed a soft sigh of relief. "Thank god, he took the bait."

Kadota couldn't understand but he could see the twisted logic warped into the way genuine happiness surfaced to Izaya's features. He held back so many times, only this time, it was different. Love was controlling and he succumbed.

This was the worst of Kadota Kyouhei at work.

"Why are you doing this?"

He fingered the page to his unfinished book.

It was not just the chase, it was the constant text messages and the oddly quiet phone calls that Izaya would receive. It was the meetings behind the tinted windows of lavish cars with men twice their age (in which Izaya would brush off as his uncle or even uncles at times.)

"Because it's interesting."

Izaya gave a nonchalant shrug with the reply and leaned back against the chair, smile dimming at the direction their conversation was heading. He didn't expect the other to understand; he just never knew Dotachin was the type to interfere.

"That's wrong, Izaya..." Kadota started, he didn't know whether he should continue because he saw his own extents, his boundaries, his strict set of territories on a field of land mines. Only, Orihara Izaya stood across the barb-wire fence, blow switch in hand. His fingers were grim with dirt, he was the one burying the mines along the way. Kadota saw the danger within the play, the pretense in the games and his ideals had finally worn through.

He continued without regret.

"… Its only because without it, you have nothing else."

"Dotachin." He was smiling to the brink of a grin but there wasn't a hint of amusement in his intricate features. "Are you trying to figure me out?"

"No, I'm just trying to make casual conversation."

Kadota turned back to his book with a light wave of his hand. Izaya may be full-fledge human but he knew that his love couldn't change Izaya's ways, ever if he had everything to offer.

The span of silence was solely theirs, it could have been minutes but it was only seconds.

Izaya leaned forward and laid a palm against the page of his book, pale long digits tracing along the words. His eyes were gleaming like blood in the sun and he knew Izaya's limits were expanding for the very worst.

"This is just the beginning, Dotachin. I can't stay like this."

His cell rang and he took the call with a hushed voice.

But Kadota heard the name Izaya greeted the man on the other line, it was those non-existing uncles again.

This time around, Dotachin made no move to interfere. But he couldn't promise to do the same next time around.

000

Four days later, Kadota Kyouhei was formally introduced to Heiwajima Shizuo and Kishitani Shinra.

XXX Kuro

Not all snippets will be understood completely but clarification will come in latter chapters. :)


	3. Mathematics

This is Shinra's POV and since he is more of an observer, his chapter contains a mesh of everyone in their love life (what a peep!) XD And as usual, even if this chapter turned out longer than I expected, I still don't own anything. ;)

XXX

**Late Spring**

XXX

He was Ikebukuro's moderator.

He stood between Shizuo and Izaya, and prevented their world from colliding too close to home. While Tom coaxed Shizuo back into the realm without the rage, Kadota would clamp a hand to Izaya's mouth and lock Izaya's wrists in his grip to prevent him from agitating the other again.

But this was all in the hopeful visions that he conjured up in the midst of his daydreams.

The sun had him caught in a daze.

He could hear Shizuo taking large gulps of milk from beside him. His visions unravelled into memories while the sun continued to beat down on him.

The first time he met Heiwajima Shizuo, his fascination overpowered all of his human instincts to survive. Instead of running, he was rooted to the spot, eyes wide as he watched the young Shizuo pull a road sign from the ground. If he hadn't already met the love of his life, he might have fallen head over heels for that inhuman strength.

Shizuo took a bite of his lunch, a cafeteria bought sandwich and mumbled thoughtfully between his chewing. "It reeks."

Shinra gnawed at his straw but the juice only tasted of artificial sugar, none of the tropical fruits that the boxed container promised, he responded. "…Does it?"

"It reeks of…"

The door was pushed open and black sauntered into the corner of his vision. And then Shizuo finished his sentence with narrowing eyes.

"A certain pest."

Shinra didn't need to see to know that it was the other boy. Even without Shizuo, the human-Izaya-detector, Izaya's presence in itself was enough to alert his self-preservation. Glancing up at the sky for one last taste of his dissipating daydream, he came back from cloud nine with a long sigh just as the spring breeze brushed against them.

Nothing seemed to faze him anymore and he spoke up against the loud clatter of metal doors and concrete walls. "What took so long, Izaya?"

He waltzed over to them and sat down next to Shizuo. Blinking heavily, he replied, voice one pitch lower than normal. "Dotachin and I were busy."

The suggestive tone he adapted was ignored when a hand came to grip at the top of his head. Izaya's neck was arched into seeing the sky but rather than the blue and the white, he saw Kadota's stern face instead. "Don't say things that aren't true, Izaya."

There was silence as Kadota sat down, and then Shinra let out a frustrated groan from deep within his throat.

All three turned to look at him, wondering whether he had finally snapped.

"… When will my love life with Celty blossom…?"

His wail beneath the sun left his friends in an awkward silence, nobody knew what to say to comfort him. Sighing in despair, he turned back to his daydreams. He bit into his bendy straw as he strayed with his thoughts. The only thing that occupied his mind was whether one day, the beautiful roommate he had would cook him a meal made of love.

His lovesick sigh made the other three stare in disgust.

000

Izaya was his link to Kadota Kyouhei. The first time he met Kadota-kun, they had never been aware of each other's presence.

"I want to introduce you to someone."

Izaya was grinning, Shizuo made to stand up, Shinra placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him, lightly, back to his seat on the ground. He was the man in the middle of their war and he hoped they both liked him enough to keep him alive.

"Are they in the yakuza?"

"He is too upright for that kind of things."

"Then is he really your friend?" Shinra asked with real skeptcism in his question because anyone who knew a bit of Izaya's personal life had to know that he was the farthest thing from being mildly decent. "Or is he just some poor soul you pulled off the street?"

Izaya rolled his eyes at Shinra before turning around to stare into the stairwell. Shinra couldn't see the mystery person but he could see Izaya's annoyance coiling into a sly grin, his reply fell straight into expectations because Orihara Izaya had always been a construct of his own words.

"You make me sound like one of the worst kinds of people around."

"You're the worst kind of men out there." Shizuo intercepted their conversation with a soft snort. If he couldn't physically abuse Izaya, then he would make it up with verbal jabs.

"I hardly make the cut for 'man,' Shizu-chan. I haven't even graduate yet." He smirked with a shrug to his narrow shoulders before quirking his head back to pull at the mystery man's uniform sleeve.

Izaya's introduction flowed off of his tongue like sweet honey, his eyes were glimmering in different depths of dark red.

"This is Dotachin."

And then he emerged from the stairwell, in the midst of their verbal game of hot potatoes.

He had deep brown hair and dark eyes. He was dressed in Raira's uniform but he looked far too mature to fool around with high school teenagers without an upright reason. Izaya was right, he was too much of a hero to be around any of the indecencies each of them were all too familiar with.

Izaya pushed him forward.

There were four of them exposed in the sun now.

Slowly, Dotachin nodded his head at Izaya's friend-count of two. One was the infamous Heiwajima Shizuo and the other was someone who looked too proper for his moderator position in the violence.

Shinra smiled and Shizuo stared blankly in response. Izaya was smiling, his eyes were half-lidded and he was latched on to Dotachin's arm like a lovesick teenage girl. And then came the declaration, he sounded so proud.

"We're dating."

It wasn't right.

They could hear the soft calls of birds between the trees down in the streets and the sounds of traffic across the asphalt roads. Izaya's lips stretched wide, he waited for his fun like he was waiting on their surprise.

His intentions weren't kind.

Dotachin pulled away from Izaya's grip and coughed lightly, his voice intercepted the awkward moment that had settled around them. "I'm Kadota Kyouhei."

He did not deny a thing and that's what struck Shinra the most. Had it really worked? He couldn't help but bite his lips in shock-turned-anticipation and he was about to break the silence too when Shizuo decidedly voiced out his own opinion.

"Is this some kind of sick brainwashing schemes you came up with, flea?" He looked like he couldn't decide between the emotions of anger or disgust, both directed straight at the boy with the glittering red eyes.

Shinra didn't wait for a reply, he knew Izaya would only pick another fight with the blonde and so he placed his drained can of pop to the ground and leaned forward, glasses shining with admiration at Izaya. "How'd you do it?"

Shinra had known Izaya from when he was young. Before his head was screwed on right (or wrong) and way before his ideals turned into an action-plan, Izaya had definitely sold his soul to the devil and ate him up from within. But nonetheless, Shinra sincerely believed that if it was Izaya, then even brain control was possible.

"I'm telling the truth." Izaya insisted with a pout but that only made it seem so much more like a lie. At his friends (one he didn't really like, one he hated from the bottom of his heart)' blank stares, Izaya could only scowl and brushed the two off. "I'm eating my lunch."

They sat in an awkward square with Izaya and Shizuo at opposite corners.

Chewing sounds filled the air, large gulps, and rustling of packaging. They were each eating at their own pace but the atmosphere was eating away at each of them. Shinra felt a responsibility resting in his lap, he swallowed and looked up from his food.

"Kadota-kun?"

"Call him Dotachin." Izaya spoke up only to have Shinra brush him off with barely a spare glance. "My name is Kishitani Shinra."

Kadota looked up with a stoic nod. "Nice to meet you."

The moment felt right, they were just short of exchanging their nonexistent business card along with a firm shake of their hands.

"And this here is Shizu-chan!~" Izaya's smile was too wide as he pointed straight at the blonde with his head tilted at the sky. He was drinking another bottle of milk just as the flea had called out his name turned insult. His fingers clenched.

The glass bottle shattered into shards.

White ran down his arm just as red followed.

Shizuo stood up, Izaya followed suit.

"The name is Heiwajima Shizuo!"

Shinra pulled Kadota to the sides and the self-introductions were cut short. Izaya flashed out his blade and the silver shined like a dare to come closer in the sun. There was a short three feet of distance between the two dangers and they were drawing in each other with each passing second.

Shinra stared up at the sky, tossing away the trouble that Izaya would stir and the messes Shizuo's hair-trigger temper would create. He only wished that Kadota-kun would be another member to his current one man clean up team for the two disasters during their growth spurt.

The glass crunched beneath Shizuo's shoes, he had made a mess of pale pink. Shinra saw the cuts in his friend's palm and the blood that was still running slick. Shizuo landed a blow. Shinra could envision the bruise that would surface across Izaya's stomach.

Kadota stood in silence, eyes darting back and forth between the three.

This triangle held strong.

000

They were in their second year already.

All of them knew what to expect because they had already laid down the foundation during their first year at Raira.

Shinra walked down the hallway, looking for Shizuo who had disappeared as soon as the bell had rung. Turning the corner, he saw dark brown locks brushed back against the scalp and he immediately recognized the boy for who he was, one in the three of his friend-counts. It was Kadota-kun.

Shinra opened his mouth to call out his friend's name, and then he saw an existence of pure black. It was Izaya and he slowed his pace at the sight.

Izaya was shorter than Kadota, he had his hands on the other's upper arms, fingers fisting the matching black fabric of another version of Raira's uniform. Kadota served as a stepping-stone for Izaya while he leaned in, mouth hovering closer and closer. Shinra stopped in his steps all together at the blatant display of affection.

Kadota's righteous character made up for Izaya's rotten personality. Like a simple mathematical equation, maybe they really were in love.

Students passed them by. No one but Shinra seemed to notice and the two of them were a breath away.

It was the last moment to back out and Kadota turned his head away.

He didn't particular like dealing with math but he was good at it. Yet, Shinra's perception had failed him and mild understanding was an understatement. He was accustomed to Izaya's abnormality, only this time it wasn't Izaya who broke the ordinary cycle, it was Kadota Kyouhei and Shinra found that incredibly hard to believe.

"We are at school." Kadota's voice drifted through the murmurs of the other students in blunt simple words, he stepped back and the two of them now stood at arm's length. Shinra couldn't see Izaya's expression.

For as long as they have been friends, he never had the need to feel concern for Izaya. He was someone who thrived on the misfortunes of everyone else, he fully deserved each and every single stab in the back to bring him down from his self-constructed high.

But even underneath the devil's skin suit, Shinra knew, Izaya was only human.

Shinra took a step forward.

"Heh," Izaya was looking at Dotachin with a smile on his lips. There was a strange absence of menace and sly intentions. He could even be considered to be coy and bashful. Shinra gave a shiver at the uncharacteristic behaviours just as Izaya continued with a light slap to Kadota's arm. "You're such a proper gentleman, Dotachin."

Izaya never took rejections well.

"But does that mean Dotachin will do dirty things to me in private?"

His eyes narrowed and he flicked his tongue out to swipe at his bottom lip. His voice had risen over the small crowds and everyone turned to stare at them.

Shinra turned around and slipped away with a silent apology to Kadota-kun. Despite the hesitance, he had no heart to stop Izaya because at minimal, they were friends at the end of the day.

000

It was winter of their second year but his springtime had finally arrived.

Shinra let out a soft sigh of contentment as he sat deeper into his seat.

They had just gotten back from winter break, it was still too cold to go back up to the roof. The four of them were crowded together in a classroom, four lunches sprawled over one desk, Shinra's to be concise.

Looking up from vandalizing Shizuo's notebooks Izaya caught Shinra's sole concentration on his cell phone screen. He narrowed his eyes and leaned forward before asking. "What is that?"

"Hmm…" Glancing up, he motioned happily to his cell. There was a short and simple text: _That's cool._ "My roommate's reply."

His gloating sounded too proud to be a seventeen years old boy with a text message in his hand.

"… Shinra, why are you grinning like you just lost your virginity?"

They watched and his eyes seemed to shine with the winter sun.

"It's the first reply I ever got back from her."

The other three didn't know how to react to that.

Each of them were accustomed to Shinra's rants of his roommate named Celty (quite foreign for anyone Japanese if any of them even cared to listen) and how beautiful everything would be if only they were headless. Up until now, they had all blamed Shinra's irrationality to his odd up bringing, (his father wore a gas-mask on a daily basis) but now, they really had to ask themselves whether befriending Shinra was right after all. The way his eyes glinted couldn't be right.

"When did you text her?" Izaya looked down at Shizuo's destroyed notebooks before glancing at his nails. Only mild curiosity fuelled him on nowadays whenever he was around Shinra.

Except, the reply hadn't been quite what anyone expected.

"Two days ago."

There was silence at first before realization settled into everyone else, and then came the opinions.

"That's pathetic."

"How sad."

Even Kadota gave a short snort.

Nasty counters waited against his tongue because Shinra lived on love and his sanity kept him afloat on a thin line. But Shizuo interrupted their pity party for him just as his eyes rested on the notebook in Izaya's lap. His eyes narrowed, his fingers curled into tight fists that dyed his knuckles a bone white. He asked, voice edging on another full-blown anger fit.

"Is that mine's?"

"Who else could it be?"

Izaya's childlike smile did not waver; he only simply handed over the notebook with its contents blackened over and gave a twirl of the marker between his fingers. Shinra swallowed his insults with an undignified scoff at the two of them because he knew that they won't hear another word.

They only had each other in their eyes.

Their bickering washed over him like another dish to a stale dinner. From behind his dark framed glasses, he watched the other three as Kadota played referee to another verbal battle Izaya and Shizuo had themselves wrapped up in.

Shinra leaned into his seat.

He had long since lost the heart to tell them that love was never the type to go easy. As much faith as he had placed on this fragile four lettered word, he knew that they were all headed for disaster. It wasn't like math, love was much more complicated.

If Izaya was the villain to the story, then Shizuo was the monster, and Kadota would be the tragic hero in disguise.

There was no happy ending for any of them.

He tapped his cell phone lightly against his nose, hiding the solemn tinge that had settled into his expression. Shinra sincerely felt for them, they were all his friends but their years in Raira were closing in like a suffocating hug aimed to kill. They didn't have much time to right the wrongs but knowing any one of them, only Kadota would try. Izaya and Shizuo had long since given into their twisted ideals and make-belief anger.

Turning back to the screen of his cell, he clicked into his most frequently used contact. His fingers pressed against the buttons and he taped out a short message for the one at the end of his unrequited love.

He hit send. Their voices did not falter at his silence and neither did he glance up.

Shinra had no part in their fairy tale because he had his own love story to deal with.

000

That night, Kishitani Shinra confessed to his roommate once more, only to be rejected for the ninety-seventh time.

XXX Kuro

Besides Celty (who might even reject his invitation), Shinra may actually have a very sad friend-count on facebook at the rate that I am writing him... OTL


	4. Physics

Second to last chapter, Shizuo's POV brings a lot of things to light (at least in my opinion XD) But as always, I don't own anything~

XXX

**Late Spring**

XXX

He defied all laws of physics.

And he didn't quite like that about himself.

"Umbrella, brother."

Shizuo picked his bag up from the ground and turned his head.

An umbrella was outstretched, like a peace offering that no one else dared to make. He was significantly shorter than him. The boy had black hair where he had bleach blonde. There wasn't a single expression on his face but his simple words were genuine, there was never a need to doubt. Shizuo took the umbrella from his brother's grip and the morning rain seemed to intensify as he opened the door to their home.

"See you, Kasuka."

The morning sun was clouded by a heavy gray, silence served as Kasuka's only answer and the door closed softly. Everything dissolved into the wet musty air as he stepped into the rain.

As far as he could remember, their parents had always been long gone by the time he had crawled out of bed. Breakfast was milk from the fridge and lunch was bread from Raira's cafeteria. Kasuka never needed any extra attention from neither him nor their parents. Shizuo's family was made of independence.

He walked around a puddle and brushed by the morning crowds.

Their faces were washed a dull grey and the high-rise buildings were vanishing with each drop of rain.

Shizuo saw life in a blur.

Through broken shards of what could be memories, he could only remember so much. His past consisted of feelings and splashes of instincts. Only certain people ever go down in his head with a matching name and face.

Tanaka Tom had been the first. He made peace a reality, not a fight that was asking for more violent blows his way. No matter how much the other man gave away, he would never ask for anything in return. Shizuo loved being around the other but Shizuo valued his sincerity most, a quality he could never receive from anyone else.

And then out of routine and reopening wounds, Shinra became the second. His existence had been useful and aside from all that trash-talk full of four worded idioms and beautiful headless women, having Shinra as a friend really was better than none.

The third had been Orihara Izaya, the one to shatter his careful construct of peace. Now his one man island was forced to fit two and their world fired off against the Ikebukuro streets. He didn't like the hate that spiked at the sight of black hair and red eyes. He wished something between them could change at the same time that he knew things couldn't.

The final one came in the form of Kadota Kyouhei, they did not speak much but he had always been the most mature one of them all, the truth in the mangled messes of lies that Izaya had tied them to.

Aside from these four and his own blood-related family, he was accustomed to the fear, like second nature that had imbedded itself into his scarred bones.

Sliding open his classroom door, the first thing he heard was no longer hushed whispers or complete silence, it was Shinra's voice.

"Don't insult Celty, Izaya."

There was a trace of a threat in his tone and it was the first time Shizuo had ever heard his friend sounding defensive. Stepping in, he caught sight of the flea and the silent Kadota Kyouhei sitting in the half-full classroom.

Shinra continued with firm determination in his voice and his eyes glinted dangerously behind those glasses.

"Or else I'll tell everyone about what happened in middle school."

"What are you talking about?"

His head hurt when Izaya spoke up, it was like a natural reaction for his body to throb and ache when he neared the louse's existence. Their intertwined fate was more like a curse.

"When you dislocated your should—"

But Izaya had already launched himself at Shinra.

The chairs clattered into the desks and the desks slammed into the walls but even with all that noise, it did little to cover Izaya's loud voice.

"Shut up, Shinra! He bumped into me first! Besides that guy might as well be Shizuo!"

Shizuo closed the door, with a little too much force than necessary and popped it out of its frame.

"Did I hear my name?"

It was hardly a question because they all knew he was just picking a fight.

"No, you were just hallucinating." Izaya looked up from the ground, he had Shinra in a headlock. His lips were twisted into a nasty sneer. "Didn't sleep well last night, Shizu-chan? Bet you were thinking of me."

The nickname got to him once more.

The grip on his fists tightened, his knuckles turned white. Throwing his bag to the ground, he could see the tiles crack with the transfer of force. He tried to calm himself down, he tried to escape the anger blinding his eyes but unlike Shinra who didn't know a thing about fighting, he was a bull with eyes set on red.

Izaya pushed Shinra away before standing up fully.

Neither looked pleased.

000

They were in the art room.

Four months back, the flea had pulled a pretty visual stunt in here. It had been a disaster, he remembered the screams, the scene of him and him, the two of them back in this room as they drew in gasps of paint with each breath they took. Things had yet to change.

The curtains bellowed around them, cheap white material gliding with the late spring wind.

Someone left the window open.

The scuffle stopped with one last clatter.

Their chase had to end somewhere.

Paint dripped from a tipped can, smearing a mess of red against the tiled floors.

Izaya had pushed Shizuo to the ground and his chest was heaving with each breath of the same stale air.

"Don't move."

His warning was short and blunt, unlike the sculpting blade that was long and sharp. His hair was in his eyes and the silver edge rested against the smooth bump to Shizuo's adam's apple. Neither of them made a move.

"I don't want to hurt you."

Shizuo glared with a thick swallow and Izaya continued like he was the one with a knife at his throat. A danger he had picked up with one smooth glide of his fingertips against the cluttered tables.

"I really didn't want to do it, not any of this… you forced me, Shizu-chan."

He was biting until his lips were a burning red, Izaya was hurting. And even Shizuo could tell. He breathed heavily and the next words that he spoke were the farthest that he could go.

"I don't hate you, I couldn't never hate you, at least not the same way you hate me. I think... I think, I like you."

Izaya was on Shizuo but he had never felt as close to Dotachin as he did at this moment.

Love had brought them together in a way nothing else could.

The way sweet words like these rubbed at their sore spots, Shizuo felt sick.

There had never been silence but there had never been calm words either. It had always been pushes and shoves on both their parts, along with the pain and blood and fun and games. Words like these had no place between them and Izaya should have been the only other one to know just that.

He could feel his breath on his face mingling with the waft of paint.

And then Shizuo pushed him away with a hand against Izaya's chest, his fingers over his heart.

They should have both known better than anyone else. Izaya's blade glided across the skin, tearing a cut that spilled stark contrast against the white of Shizuo's shirt and the silver of that sculpting knife. Izaya's eyes widened at the sight of red, the crimson that wallowed in the blood pool of his own eyes.

"Don't fuck with me, flea."

There was no end to this.

Shizuo pulled away, glaring, anger burning in the dark brown depths of his eyes. These were the types of mistakes that they never learnt from. "Your manipulative games won't get you anywhere with me, Izaya."

Neither of them deserved a happy ending when hate was the only word they knew.

The pause did not last because they were recovering too fast for wounds to heal up right.

"I should've known… Shizu-chan." Izaya ran his fingers through his hair and chuckled with his lips stretched wide. His blade slipped from between his grip and the clatter shook them both back to the real world where neither of them could ever retreat without another scar to add to their personal collection. "...You... ruin everything."

Looking up, there was only menace left in his eyes, pools of empty red that were drenched in distaste.

Shizuo raised a fist, Izaya didn't dodge, he was anticipating the pain, the bruise, the mark that would wallow beneath the skin because it was solely one of a kind. Instead, Shizuo growled, a well-controlled whirl of anger and frustration before withdrawing his hand.

They each took a breath.

He didn't want this strength to hurt and harm. He sought for an ordinary life with a safer ability that he could control. Shizuo turned away with a palm resting against his neck in a feeble attempt to slow the flow of blood, this was hate and an urge to destroy.

But the last person he wanted to kill was Orihara Izaya.

He kept him in check with his constant hate. Shizuo depended on the other to get back up and take him on all over again because Izaya's presence was the only living thing that brought him gratification to have this sort of power. It was a senseless dependence but this was all he had.

Izaya was the only one who could ever match up to him.

Shizuo turned around and stormed from the ruined art room. The curtains fluttered with a heavy force, it was their last spring at Raijin.

Their time was up.

The red paint dripped blood and Shizuo's blood had stained his fingertips red. Izaya slumped to the ground dejected. The difference left him indifferent and maybe, the paint had finally gotten through to his systems.

He tilted his head back and he laughed, it was loud.

And when the laughter died down, he lowered his head and he cried.

It was silent.

Outside the half shut sliding doors, Kadota had witnessed it all. Izaya's tears must have been hot as they slid down his cheek and his breath must have been caught in his throat because it was too quiet to be the sound of a broken heart. Kadota was indifferent, like the boy curled by the window and he would have turned to leave if it wasn't for that familiar voice, like an accusation that seemed to taunt and amuse all at the same time.

"…Spying is an indecent act of curiosity."

Seconds passed, ticking a loud awakening that drummed into their ears. There was no blame, there was no care, there was only a small spark of recognition left. Izaya looked up wearily with a drained smile washed white against his lips.

"I just never knew Dotachin would be the one to catch me at my worst."

000

He lost sight of Izaya.

There was no blood on his hands, just the feeling of Izaya's skin.

The flea had run off without a second taunt, silence in the wake of the noise he had created.

Shizuo still couldn't forget. The art room. The red paint. The blood from his own wound. The pain hadn't last, it hardly compared to the adrenaline and the memories of Izaya's heartbeat as he pushed him off, it was a frantic constant that was beating at the centre of his palm.

The surprise had stung.

The realization had seared a burn in each fingertip.

There was no forgetting this time because his final lie had crumbled into the truth and reality was just short of every expectation in their world. One that was solely Shizuo and Izaya.

Turning around, he stalked through the streets. With the flea running and dodging him like a plague, this had been the seventh time this week. They would see each other, across the hall, down the stairs, through the crowds, and the next second into the chase, Izaya would have already vanished.

And it came as a larger bother than any expectation he had ever placed on himself.

It could not be healthy, this obsessive hate that became the only thing he could feel.

He remembered Tom's graduation, he remembered the words he had said: _If you hate it then you should just quit. It's only normal._

But with Izaya's existence, he had long since abandoned the Heiwajima Shizuo that he had with Tom. His attempts have shattered with each blow he threw out and he was just short of normal as Izaya blocked him, blow after blow.

Izaya met him at each step with so much more to offer.

He couldn't love him because he could only hate him in return.

Their time had run out.

There was only one month until their lives at Raijin came to an end and Izaya had ran off without leaving a single trail behind.

000

A month later, Shizuo was still aggravated but they graduated nonetheless.

XXX Kuro

Should I have put in a warning for OCC-Izaya? DD: And yes, this story is bound to go downhills because a happy ending really isn't for these sick Raijin kids.


	5. World History

This is the end of the least romantic love story ever. Shizuo/Tom is platonic to the point where they don't even hold hands and Kadota/Izaya , to me, is honestly more like father and son than anything really. The last chapter is in Izaya's POV and we finally get a glimpse of how everything turned out this way. The years have not been kind DD:

I don't own a thing.

XXX

**Late Spring**

XXX

He breathed out and came to a conclusion.

Orihara Izaya was not of this world.

The color black made a barren spreadsheet for everything else in his path.

Neon lights flashed as respectable business turned from open to close. But dead ahead, he could only see the moon and the white glow that washed over all the parts of him that no one else could see.

He smiled, shoulders brushing against a pedestrian on an Ikebukuro street. The anonymity to each step brought glee. As the boundaries snapped, he had grown from his past. Orihara Izaya was now a changed man and he knew the definite difference between the paths of stark black and starch white.

Because he now stood in the depths of a grey sinkhole that sucked the ground from beneath his feet.

Yet, he didn't have the heart to pull himself out. From each scratch into the concrete to each grave in the soil, this was human history and the final proof of their very existence.

But like the love that he felt wholeheartedly, hate was also dealing him a nasty card. Izaya was certain that if the world were left to itself, he would surely be eating dirt by now.

And nothing, not even him, dealt well with hate.

So he plotted with clear determination that history would repeat itself (and even if it didn't, he would make sure it did). Because this loop was his to weave from the very beginning.

The bud of his first seed.

There was a buzz in his pocket. Izaya fished out his cell phone, glanced at the contact name and cut off the call. He wasn't about to welcome a part of his lousy past with open arms. He was about to slip the phone back into his pocket but it was already buzzing once more.

The name was the same.

The consistency brought a grimace to his lips and he motioned to shut his cell off entirely.

His fingers pressed into the button like the warm palm that landed over his.

In replacement of the name, Kadota Kyouhei appeared instead.

Izaya looked up mechanically. His breath was caught in his own surprise but he had enough pride and dignity to brush off the hand that he had once held with sentiments better left in another man's arms.

"Dotachin." He greeted with a smile, the nickname had not changed, not even since the day they broke up. "How have you been?"

It had been months and months since they each saw the other.

Izaya's casualties were ignored and instead Kadota had his eyes set on seeking the truth beneath the layers of lies Izaya had build for himself, like a foreign castle stacked up high. "Why?"

"What are you trying to say?"

Izaya took a step back, gaze hardening even as his smile remained the same. Maybe that's why he could never let down his guard whenever he was near Dotachin. The man could dissect him, even without words.

"Why did you do this after so long?"

They both knew what he was referring to. This was their first spring away from Raijin. It had been a year since graduation and they hadn't seen each other since. But aside from the absence of their uniforms, they both looked exactly the same.

"I've been planning this since I've met him."

It had always been him, him as in the one and only that ever stood between them.

He was Heiwajima Shizuo.

"You're lying."

Ikebukuro was their backdrop. One had the entire world of love left to offer and the other had finally found the conscience to forfeit in their last attempt. Kadota looked straight at him, dark eyes piercing the red orbs as Izaya shrugged nonchalantly.

"It hardly matters. Its just a matter of time till he gets back out anyway."

It really didn't. People were selfish and lonely creatures, and he was the same himself. Izaya was never in any position to change for Dotachin. But he had finally learned to stop taking advantage of every single weakness he was trusted into taking a glimpse of.

"This is your revenge, isn't it, Izaya?"

Izaya may be human but he too was in love.

They both knew it, all too well. But Izaya continued to deny it all.

"No. It's a gift, to all of you."

His cell phone buzzed, he took the call without a second glance but the habitual soft whispers no longer existed. His eyes were downcast in concentration and a car passed them by.

Kadota waited and Izaya ended the call a few seconds later.

"Your uncles again, Izaya?"

The offhand comment was because of love while the rare reply may as well be considered to be the lingering aftertaste of a great romance. A memory of their high school days.

"No, it's the yakuza this time."

Izaya turned to walk off. This may be his last attempt at salvation but it was most certainly his first offering of the truth to anyone else other than himself.

000

It had been two weeks since Kadota had placed his heart in his hands with a confession that was laced with more honesty than Izaya was born with.

Waiting, he acted normal and interacted as though nothing had changed.

Unconsciously, he was weighing the options and the spiral of consequences that followed. Kadota had seen too many of his lies and the webs that he was capable of weaving, there were no benefits to accepting the offer. Izaya could only see the plan forming in his head, nothing else should waver from its set course and Kadota should just take Izaya's promise as a joke and another lie to add to his collection.

He rested his eyes on Kadota and he was set on carrying out his rejection.

The bell rung.

There was a commotion, one that was just for him and him.

Kadota turned around at the soft gasp that came from behind him and he knew that he was the only one to notice.

Izaya was falling.

He clenched his eyes shut, his black uniform stood in contrast to the blue of Raira's usual dress code and his hand was outstretched in his last attempt to help himself. He had been running to catch up and it had been raining, this entire week.

No one in the stairwell made a move but everyone had their eyes trained on his black silhouette, he could feel it against the strong upheaval of human instincts that rested heavily on his chest.

Kadota wasn't a hero and Izaya patiently waited for the pain.

There wasn't a single expectation that surfaced to mind because Kadota had played pedestrian all his life. Only this time, he had reached out from the crowd and caught Izaya's out stretched hand in his.

His fingers wrapped around his wrist.

His heart was caught in his throat.

Kadota pulled him back on to the safety of the stair's landing and Izaya opened his eyes. His wrist was in his palm and warmth spread along each vein. Blood pulsed and their adrenaline left them cold.

"Watch it."

Izaya's heart was pounding. It could have been the shock that Kadota Kyouhei had caught him falling but Kadota had already let go of his hand and he was turning to walk away.

Izaya stared after him, eyes wide as an unsuspecting feeling surfaced to just beneath the red. It was impulse and it was now or never.

"Dotachin!"

Kadota turned around, he didn't know why.

"I like you too."

It was inaudible but Kadota could read the way his lips had curved. Izaya was sure the other understood, it was the way that he had cared for him when no one else would. It could have been fate or it could have been a coincidence but Izaya accepted his love because he might just like him above the rest.

"Izaya, don't call me that."

And he laughed wholeheartedly at the reply but the only thing that remained was a bitter smile.

Or not. Because that day was also the day Dotachin figured him out. Izaya may be in a sick and loving relationship with the entire human race but he was human too. Love could change him and Kadota had placed the bets that one day, love would change him for the better.

Izaya didn't mind because he was wishing for the same.

That had been three months before the end of their first year at Raijin.

000

His high school life had always been short of respectable and acceptable, there wasn't a single element of surprise to that. And then one month back, Dotachin saw something no one should ever have to see.

It was the day where he unravelled into something human, someone with a heart and soul.

And then he was paving his future with his own two hands.

Standing up with a small stretch, he stepped out of the art room without another word. Past Dotachin by the door and made his way right down the hall, through the staircase where he had accepted Dotachin's confession and out into the solid stretch of Ikebukuro territory.

Days went by where he was out on the streets more than he was in class, conversing with people twice his age and entering places no one proper would take a step into. But no one said a thing, not even his teachers and especially not his three counts of make-believe friends.

And then it had been their last day at Raijin.

Kadota confronted him by the opened gates. Izaya wasn't surprised, he had been anticipating it.

"He rejected you, didn't he, Izaya?"

There was no hello, no greetings, just a few words that struck him right to the core. Izaya knew he should just walk away but he was betraying himself, his conscience had fell in love with a man named Kadota Kyouhei and it had finally learned to sell himself out.

"Why do you even ask?" _You saw. You saw._

His accusations stayed with him and he continued, he couldn't help himself anymore. The words were coming out of his mouth and he knew what they meant even if he wished he were just speaking nonsense.

"You don't know him, Dotachin."

Him as in the one and only, Heiwajima Shizuo.

It was an accusation that was shot right back at him.

"And I wish you hadn't."

There was no remorse and it was like Kadota was never a part of all their affairs. Even though he had stood in the centre of it, watching with skepticism three hundred and sixty degrees all around.

Like his wish for Izaya, he was wishing the same for himself.

Izaya was short of doing what he did best, turn and run the other way. He stared hard, blunt fingernails nipping into his skin because what he saw was just the thing that he wished he could have never seen.

Dotachin offered unconditional love.

But the offer was never his to accept, his conscience caught up with him or maybe he had spent too much time with the righteous Kadota Kyouhei after all.

It was unfair and for once, he couldn't accept the too-good-to-be-true offer that Dotachin had made. He was selfish and he knew that he would never change even if he could.

He didn't turn away. Izaya looked up to face Kadota for one last time.

"You are too good for me."

The last bitter smile he pulled for Dotachin was the last of his humanity.

000

Their graduation marked the end of their wild days.

And no one said good-bye.

There could have been regrets in any one of them but Izaya had none. Not even when they all retreated back to their ordinary lives, back to a time when they didn't know each other and then back before their worlds collided with a sharp pang to the heart.

Apart they could have been considered as everyday people with odd job abilities. Together they were the extraordinary that made history skeptical in comparison because they were real and they were present now.

Their existence would mar every street corner and even they themselves could not forget one for the other.

Because during the short three years at Raijin, they had all managed to accomplish something.

Shizuo created a monster, Kadota fell in love with the devil, Izaya became human, and Shinra stepped down as Ikebukuro's moderator. Whether it was something they should be proud of or not, it was still an action that made a lasting impact on all of them.

Orihara Izaya was across the street and Ikebukuro was dark but he saw it all.

Shizuo was released from custody (far too soon) and the police station's bright lights made blonde locks glimmer gold.

Izaya may not be a lot of things but he was a self-aware individual who knew his flaws. He was a boy with a good-looking face. He was also the boy with the ugly personality. Izaya was never the type to deny himself, especially not if he understood himself the best.

His eyes were a shimmering red.

And then another man stepped into the picture.

Still, love brought out the very worst in him.

He had dark eyes and brown dreadlocks. A simple set of wired frames rested on the bridge of his nose and Izaya recognized him, it was Tanaka Tom but that had been all that Izaya could remember.

He was not someone that was part of their world, their as in him and Shizu-chan of course.

Even though his network expanded outwards like an intertwining spider web, he had never anticipated that the two knew each other. He had only been faintly aware of Tanaka Tom's existence.

But this man's impact far outweighed any of his expectations.

The expression on Shizuo's face was different, the anger in his eyes, the concentration that would firmly knit his brows, they were all gone. And Heiwajima Shizuo was looking too gentle for a ticking time bomb with a hair-trigger temper.

Shizuo was his monster, a terror only he could handle.

He thought he had moved on from his high school days but the clench in his chest was telling him otherwise. He could not forget, the red paint could have been Shizuo's blood and his confession could have been him, strung up high on toxic art supplies.

He watched the two walk down the street, Shizu-chan was smiling and so was Tanaka Tom.

He didn't like it but as he had told Dotachin, it hardly mattered anymore.

The meaning of everything he had done finally came to him. Shizuo had Tom, and then Izaya wanted Dotachin. His logic may have been twisted all around but he had only been in high school.

It was the time of their lives, a short three years where any of them could have changed for the other.

But it was too late, it was all over now.

And Orihara Izaya was the same as he had always been.

Lifting his head to gaze the challenge eye to eye, the late spring breeze caressed his cheek and the gentleness to the touch made him sick. This was only the start of his revenge, there was much more to go. His disgust twisted into genuine hate and his smirk had never been so convincing.

After all, this was all for _him_.

"I hope you're going to like what I've planned for you, Ikebukuro."

000

The day after, Orihara Izaya had already left for Shinjuku.

XXX Kuro

This was a blast. And I am still pondering whether I should add Izaya/Ikebukuro into the summary. XD


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